Chapter 657: The Body of the Mother
When it awoke, it felt like everything was different. The warmth around it had grown colder and there was a lot of noise. When it opened it’s eyes, it still was within the warm pool, but it no longer felt as comforting as it once did.
For the first time in it’s life, it decided to leave the pool. That was when it first encountered the two legged creatures. They looked weak, but some gave off a rather strong aura and bloodlust. While the young snake didn’t understand the world, it understood it’s instincts. It knew where to go and where not to go based on the two legged creatures who walked around. Luckily, it instinctually understood the area all around it and knew where to go, where to hide and how to stick to the shadows.
When it couldn’t contain it’s hunger anymore, it managed to find a place with lots of different kinds of food and substances that seemed appetizing and it didn’t hesitate to eat to sate itself. Luckily it understood enough not to stay in one place for too long and how to hide it’s traces, so the two legged creatures never noticed it’s presence.
They did notice the food missing from the kitchen, but they could never figure out a reason as to why.
Over the many years after that, it spent it’s time studying these creatures, their habits and even their language. Being the offspring of a divine beast, it didn’t take long to learn their language and even gain more of an understanding about them.
This went on for so many years, it lost track of time, until it heard about the creatures being involved in a massive war.
It didn’t really understand or pay attention, until one day the castle went quiet.
Everyone was gone, the hallways no longer containing talk or activity.
The kitchen had gone cold with very little food remaining.
While it didn’t understand, it knew that this would pose a danger to it’s survival. While it didn’t know what to do next, it felt like what it needed to do was sleep. Returning to the pool, the snake once again crawled into it’s depths and closed it’s eyes, falling into a long slumber.
It only woke again once noises from the halls disturbed it’s sleep.
These humans were far weaker than the last ones it had come into contact with, none of them even posing a danger to it. What’s more, there were a lot less this time and they didn’t even move about in more than a third of the castle, either unaware of the rest of it or unable to navigate it’s forbidden halls.
Luckily for the snake, the kitchen was one room they went back into and while the food was never even close to what it used to enjoy, it wasn’t bad either, allowing the snake to fix it’s hunger issue.
Once again, time continued on, but this time it didn’t flow nearly as fast. Even then, it felt great waves forming in the outside world along with the arrival of a powerful and fearful being.
It had escaped back to the water once again, intending on napping as it had already done, but it surprisingly found a human man resting it it’s waters.
To say it was surprised would have been a major understatement. While the human gave off a dangerous vibe, it also seemed inviting and welcoming at the same time, something it didn’t understand. It had to get closer.
And that was when Laz opened his eyes, just like he did again right now. He understood quite a few things, even things the snake itself didn’t understand.
Looking around, Laz realized that this pool must have, at one time, been the uterus of the divine snake just as the surrounding building was once a large portion of the snakes body. How much of it, Laz had no idea. But somehow, in it’s final moments, the mother had protected her offspring within this place, even as she was being cute apart.
Laz couldn’t help but shed a tear at this realization as he pictured just what kind of strength she must of had to have been able to protect her children even in this situation. As for only one surviving, Laz was sure it wasn’t because of lack of effort on her part. more like there was only so much she could have done in such a situation and at least she saved one.
Seeing the strange creature shed water from it’s eyes, the snake felt something akin of intimacy with it for this moment and laid it’s head on his naked lap, as though trying to comfort him from the sorrow that had been shard.
Laz, in return, stroked the head of the snake as though thankful for it’s comfort.
"I can’t say much, but if you would like to come with me, I would do my best to keep you safe. Although, for now, it’s probably best you remain here. I am about to go fight a monster I don’t believe I can win against, but one that you would be safe from in here," Laz said, sharing his thoughts.
The snake brought it’s head up and looked at him, closely, before bringing it’s head to his.
Laz then felt it ask, "what enemy?"
Laz’s thoughts focused suddenly on the shadow dragon as he gave a bit of background as to what his back story was like, why he was here and what he was going to be trying to do to escape.
The snake then raised it’s head and nodded, as though agreeing to something.
*Your enemy is my enemy,* it then said into Laz’s head, almost scaring him.
The pool lit up as the large snake began to glow, with a curtain of light engulfing it’s body. It became so bright that Laz wasn’t able to see for a few moments until the light cut off and his eyes adjust.
Where once there had been a massive black snake, there was now a young girl, no older than 12, looking back at him. Her hair was the color of the darkest night while her eyes shown like blue gems in the sky. Her skin was pale white, an obvious sign that she never left this world to go outside.
The only other thing that stood out to Laz was was there were still some patch’s of black scale left on her skin in certain areas, but due to the color, they actually looked more like artistic tattoos. The only real problem with her current appearance was that she was totally naked as she checked out the various bits of her new body. Luckily for Laz, she was still standing in the water and was therefore covered from showing him way to much, not that he thought she would understand how that would make him uncomfortable.
"Somehow I shouldn’t be surprised," Laz said, suddenly missing Vivi.
"Come here," Laz said, pulling some clothes out of his ring. He didn’t have anything for little girls for obvious reasons, but he did have some decent size shirts Nesha had left for him. Drying the young girl off with his eyes closed and then putting the shirt over her head, Laz then attached a belt, making for a makeshift tunic. While not the best looking clothing, it was something until he could maybe get something from one of the villagers living in the castle. There were a couple with children who looked around the girls size.
"These feel weird... But not bad weird. They just feel funny rubbing on my scales," the young girl said when she laughed, her voice like the gentle tinkling of bells. She then began to move around, getting used to having feet before she started dancing, gliding around on the floor as though weightless as she swung around and laughed.
"I’ve always wanted to try that," she said as she fell down on top of the still sitting Laz who had been observing her.
"Really?"
"Yes. I’ve always loved how you creatures could express so many things with just your faces and hands and feet. I’ve seen it done many times before, but trying it myself just didn’t have the same... outcome?" She said as she laughed, clearly remembering how it had looked to her to have been dancing as a snake.
"So... you want to come with me?" Laz just wanted to make sure as to the young girls intentions.
"Yes. I’ve lived here since I was born. And although I feel connected to it... I can’t stay here forever. And something is telling me that going with you is my only chance," she said, pointing a finger at Laz.
Laz looked around at the building before sighing.
"Alright. But before we go, make sure you properly say goodbye. This place.... used to be your mother..." Laz figured he should explain things clearly so that she didn’t think he was hiding anything from her later.
"How could a building be my mother? It’s just a building. I’ve seen the designs on how they are built before. Nothing but sand, stone, dirt, wood and such. That’s not something that could be a mother," the girl argued, not understanding what Laz was talking about.
It was only after sharing his thoughts with the young snake once again that he was able to show her exactly what he meant.
The tears flowed freely from her for a long time after.
